History Film / HowardTheDuck

* BestialityIsDepraved: Try and think of another property, ''anywhere'', that averts this trope. It's this film alone, with Beverly and Howard's relationship for one; the issue of ''Playduck'' for two, and the topless duck woman in the bath for the trifecta.. Either the magazine is anthropomorhpically accurate, or it isn't, but the duck nipples are visible there nonetheless. Do remember this is ostensibly a family film.

* BestialityIsDepraved: Try and think of another property, ''anywhere'', that averts this trope. It's this film alone, both with Beverley and Howard's relationship; and the issue of "Playduck" Howard opens at the beginning of the film. Either the magazine is anthropomorhpically accurate, or it isn't, but the duck nipples are visible there nonetheless. Do remember this is ostensibly a family film.

->''"The cosmos... countless worlds upon worlds... worlds without end... in these galaxies, every possible reality exists. And what is reality on anyone world is mere fantasy on all others. Here, all is real, and all is illusion. What is, what was, and what will be start here, with the words: In the beginning, there was... '''HOWARD THE DUCK!'''"''

->''The cosmos... countless worlds upon worlds... worlds without end... in these galaxies, every possible reality exists. And what is reality on anyone world is mere fantasy on all others. Here, all is real, and all is illusion. What is, what was, and what will be start here, with the words: In the beginning, there was... '''HOWARD THE DUCK!'''''

-->--'''Opening narrator'''

** The female duck bathing doesn't take much notice as Howard and his chair fly through her bathroom. Even though everyone else does when he flies through the apartment hallways and beyond. IShe just goes back to bathing as if nothing happened.

** The female duck bathing doesn't take much notice as Howard and his chair fly through her bathroom. Even though everyone else ''does''. In fact, she just goes back to bathing as if nothing happened.

* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: Howard just walks around in public without disguising himself, and even gets a job, with little reaction. But then, people just think he is a short person in a duck suit. Not to mention that aside from the initial awkwardness in their first conversation, Beverly has no problem with Howard.

* NonMammalMammaries: Again, duck tits. Howard's reaction to a knife nearly striking his groin implies that the "males variant" is also applicable.

* FanDisservice: An early scene offers a glimpse of duck boobs. Yes, in a PG movie. There is no logical reason for the movie to feature duck boobs, unless they thought someone, somewhere, would enjoy duck boobs. And even if somebody ''would'', they're ruined by the [[SpecialEffectFailure terrible]] [[UncannyValley duck effects]] and it just becomes even more disturbing as the fast-paced editing makes it look like the hand she's running over her knee in the bathtub is going down her stomach to [[ADateWithRosiePalms somewhere else]] as Howard begins to fly through.

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

* {{Novelization}}: Author Ellis Weiner who among other works also created the AffectionateParody to [[Literature/{{Dune}} first novel]] called Literature/NationalLampoonsDoon wrote the novel to the film. However, Weiner consciously took the extremely ridiculous premise of the film and satirized it to a degree where he inserted completely made-up backstories to Howard's character biography (and those of various other characters) in a number of "Coverage In-Depth Inserts", effectively turning the seemingly pointless task of writing the novel to a film based on a comic book character into a piece of literary art in its own right, as [[https://www.denofgeek.com/comics/weird-things-we-learned-from-the-howard-the-duck-novel/ a number of recent articles]] [[https://filmnovelizations.tumblr.com/post/67447654440/howard-the-duck have pointed out]].

* PantyShot: Beverly gets a couple of quick but very hard-to-miss ones in the third act. They're red, in case you're wondering.

->''The cosmos... countless worlds upon worlds... worlds without end... in these galaxies, every possible reality exists. And what is reality on any one world is mere fantasy on all others. Here, all is real, and all is illusion. What is, what was, and what will be start here, with the words: In the beginning, there was... '''HOWARD THE DUCK!'''''

** He does now, after his pantslessness led to acusations that he looked too much like WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck. "My lawyers tell me I've always been wearing these pants."

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/howard_the_duck_1986.jpg]]
Based on a relatively obscure Creator/MarvelComics [[ComicBook/HowardTheDuck character]], ''Howard the Duck'' is a 1986 live-action movie about Howard, an [[IntelligentGerbil anthropomorphic duck]] who is accidentally zapped to Earth during [[AppliedPhlebotinum the test-firing of a laser]].

* DumbBlonde: Beverly does not appear to be well-informed. Bear in mind that she's human and until meeting Howard had no idea there even was anyone living on other worlds.

* ToneShift: From the moment by the Dark Overlord possesses Dr. Jenning and they stop at the diner, the movie's mood changes, turning the relationship between Howard and Beverly into a platonic one (even [[LampshadeHanging seemingly lampshading]] how it was previously depicted when Bev tries to stop the mob from eating Howard announcing that he's her boyfriend... which only provokes a ''disgusted'' reaction from the people) and becoming a Sci-Fi/Fantasy romp about Howard rescuing Bev and stopping alien monsters from arriving without any more inappropriate or jarring adult humor from the first part of the film.

** He does now, after his pantslessness led to acusations that he looked too much like DonaldDuck. "My lawyers tell me I've always been wearing these pants."

* CityPeopleEatSushi: Weirdly averted, especially for [[TheEighties the time]]. The diner Howard, Beverly and Dr. Jenning visit is packed with rowdy hick customers, but apparently specializes in "[[NinjaPirateZombieRobot Cajun sushi]]".

%%* PantyShot

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar:
** Duck tits!
** Not to mention the duck condom Beverly finds in Howard's wallet...
** And as ''Empire'' pointed out, Beverly tries to seduce Howard. See also InterspeciesRomance (and this is a ''PG'' movie!).
** The comic book adaptation of the film cleans up a lot of the inappropriate material, but somehow retains Howard looking at a Playduck centerfold.
** The entire spa sequence.